Taneytown denies plea for parking

Despite earlier discussions about providing more parking for residents of Taneytown's Clover Court, city officials have decided not to create a new parking lot on that street in the Cloverberry development.

City Manager John L. Kendall said the mayor and City Council decided before he was hired April 6 "not to take any action on it because it was an issue of private property."

Clover Court residents Dianna and Nathan Fowler had asked the city in August to consider converting the grassy lot beside 417 Clover Court into parking for the residents who do not own spaces.

City Attorney Thomas F. Stansfield said the city may be able to put a parking lot there, but he was unsure about whether the government could assign spaces.

But Mr. Kendall said the mayor and council decided not to act on that suggestion.

Mrs. Fowler called Mr. Kendall last week to address the issue again.

Mr. Kendall said he told Mrs. Fowler that if she still has concerns, she should take them to the mayor and council.

According to the plans for Clover Court that are filed with the county, Town Villa Corp., the builder, was required to provide 56 parking spaces for the 28 houses in the U-shaped court.

Sixty spaces are available in the court, Mr. Fowler said.

In most cases, each property encompasses an 18-foot-wide space on the street for parking.

But for the Fowlers and others like them whose houses face the side of another house, there is no paved street for them to claim as parking space.

Mr. Kendall said some Daisy Court residents face similar parking problems in the same development.

"We're working now to determine where the property lines are," Mr. Kendall said.

The city already has completed assessment of properties on Clover and Berry courts to determine how much each property owner will have to pay the city for repaving their private parking spots this spring.

Residents of Berry and Clover courts who have parking spaces deeded to their property will be charged $62.50 for each spot they own when the city paves the lots, the City Council decided Feb. 14.

Mr. Kendall said any resident who still has concerns about parking in the area should call the city office and make plans to address the mayor and council.